Tuesday, 30 June 2015

The APT (Artist Producer Training) Program presented by STAF in partnership with Theatre Ontario will train a new generation of artist/producers in independent theatre. The goal of the APT Program is to train a new generation of artist/producers of independent theatre. Successful applicants will receive comprehensive, innovative, hands-on training with top industry professionals as they create and implement strategies and projects. The deadline to apply is July 13.

Actors, directors, playwrights of all skill levels—experience a week away from all distractions and immerse yourself in a unique theatrical learning experience. You will learn new skills, meet passionate theatre people, enrich your theatre capacity, and flex your creative muscle! Join us at our Summer Theatre Intensive, August 9 to 15 in Waterloo. Spaces are still available for registration until July 31.

Playwright-in-Person with Vern Thiessen on August 10 in Waterloo: Vern reads from his works and participates in a Q&A in this free event open to the public (but of special interest to Summer Theatre Intensive students studying playwriting with Maja Ardal)

ted witzel is working at the Stratford Festival a few months after working on an indie performance for Buddies in Bad Times’ Rhubarb Festival. He reflects on the “theatre class system” on the Buddies blog: “swordfights vs serial sex murder: have i sold out?”

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

Reciprocal Agreements: CAEA and ACTRA with Arden R. Ryshpan (CAEA) and Karl Pruner (ACTRA) on June 25 in Toronto: If you work or plan to work in both live performance and recorded media, you must navigate the agreements between different unions—and we're here to help.

Actors, directors, playwrights of all skill levels—experience a week away from all distractions and immerse yourself in a unique theatrical learning experience. You will learn new skills, meet passionate theatre people, enrich your theatre capacity, and flex your creative muscle! Join us at our Summer Theatre Intensive, August 9 to 15 in Waterloo. The application deadline is June 26.

The APT (Artist Producer Training) Program presented by STAF in partnership with Theatre Ontario will train a new generation of artist/producers in independent theatre. The goal of the APT Program is to train a new generation of artist/producers of independent theatre. Successful applicants will receive comprehensive, innovative, hands-on training with top industry professionals as they create and implement strategies and projects. The deadline to apply is July 13.

Playwright-in-Person with Vern Thiessen on August 10 in Waterloo: Vern reads from his works and participates in a Q&A in this free event open to the public (but of special interest to Summer Theatre Intensive students studying playwriting with Maja Ardal)

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Deadline for nominations for Business for the Arts' Community Impact Award and Corporate Champion Award is June 26

Deadline for Playwright’s Guild of Canada’s Emerging Playwrights Competition is June 30

Deadline for submissions for the Canadian Jewish Playwriting Competition from the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre is July 2

Deadline for applications for Ontario Arts Council’s Compass program is July 3

In Southwestern Ontario
Jun. 25, Light Up the Sky at Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-Lake), in previews*
Jun. 26, Top Girls at Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-Lake), currently in previews*
Jun. 26, Seeds at Blyth Festival, with previews from Jun. 24*
Jun. 27, The Twelve-Pound Look at Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-Lake), currently in previews*
Jun. 27, Pygmalion at Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-Lake), currently in previews*

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

What Bit You? A Social for Emerging Theatre Artists from our Youth Advisory Committee on June 19 in Toronto at Factory Theatre: This is a chance for youth ages 14+ to get together, hang out, and get to know other like-minded youth who they may not have met otherwise!

Reciprocal Agreements: CAEA and ACTRA with Arden R. Ryshpan (CAEA) and Karl Pruner (ACTRA) on June 25 in Toronto: If you work or plan to work in both live performance and recorded media, you must navigate the agreements between different unions—and we're here to help.

Actors, directors, playwrights of all skill levels—experience a week away from all distractions and immerse yourself in a unique theatrical learning experience. You will learn new skills, meet passionate theatre people, enrich your theatre capacity, and flex your creative muscle! Join us at our Summer Theatre Intensive, August 9 to 15 in Waterloo. The application deadline is June 26.

The APT (Artist Producer Training) Program presented by STAF in partnership with Theatre Ontario will train a new generation of artist/producers in independent theatre. The goal of the APT Program is to train a new generation of artist/producers of independent theatre. Successful applicants will receive comprehensive, innovative, hands-on training with top industry professionals as they create and implement strategies and projects. The deadline to apply is July 13.

Playwright-in-Person with Vern Thiessen on August 10 in Waterloo: Vern reads from his works and participates in a Q&A in this free event open to the public (but of special interest to Summer Theatre Intensive students studying playwriting with Maja Ardal)

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Deadline for nominations for Business for the Arts' Community Impact Award and Corporate Champion Award is June 26

Tuesday, 16 June 2015

When one thinks these days of John P. Kelly, one might think, “master of comedy,” a soubriquet attached to him for some years now in Ottawa where he has specialized in this genre of theatre. But John is quick to point out that his experience over several decades of directing has covered a range of theatre genres—and beyond. Born in Ireland, for several years he was Head of Radio Drama output with RTE, the Irish equivalent of Canada’s CBC. Having trained as a theatre director with Ireland’s famous National Theatre, the Abbey, he joined the broadcaster “to make some real money.”

When asked why he feels Ireland is famous worldwide for its theatre creation he says “the Irish are storytellers, with a history of the Bard held at the highest levels of society. It is deep within us to be storytellers.” But not this Irishman, he laughingly says, “I couldn’t write, apparently I was not much of an actor, so I demoted myself to being a director.”

John moved to Canada in 2004 from Ireland expecting to be in demand as a director here, but he got quite a surprise. “I was quite big-headed when I came here,” he says. “I’d been directing all my life, but nobody had a job for me. Everyone was friendly and polite but I was pushed from Artistic Director to Artistic Director.” Eighteen months later, he took the lead from the story of the Little Red Hen: “I’ll do it myself, said the Little Red Hen!” He hired a night club in Ottawa that was empty until the crowds would arrive around 10:00pm, and he produced a play beginning each evening at 7.30pm. And thus SevenThirty Productions was born!

Over the last 11 years, he has directed about thirty-five shows in Ottawa, over twenty of those produced by SevenThirty Productions. He has on three separate occasions been named top director by the Ottawa Critics and last year his production of David Mamet’s November garnered the top overall production award. Known for his willingness to take risks and challenges with few resources (as with his Noises Off and The 39 Steps), his next production, The Norman Conquests by Alan Ayckbourn, may stretch even him. Here he will direct three plays in one, all three being performed in rep. Again he laughs, “Some say I am quite mad! Some may be right!”

John P. Kelly adjudicating at TheatreOntario Festival 2013 in Kingston

In addition to directing, Kelly has also worked as an adjudicator and workshop leader, twice officiating at Theatre Ontario. He began adjudicating over thirty years ago and has worked in Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and—of course—Canada. (With a smile, he says “I must have offended someone in England!”) When asked if he enjoys the adjudication process, he says, “After all this time, I am still not quite sure. Yes, of course I love to be of help to people serious about their art but I have never been convinced that trophies and plaques have any real place. Yes, we all like to win…I was a community artist one time myself and I adored winning! But I do not fool myself that winning made me any better at theatre. The crucial thing to remember is that there is actually NO best production. There is just one person’s honest and educated view on what was the best theatrical experience for him/her. And many experienced adjudicators will admit that they might have had a very different view if they had seen the same show on a different night. For would it have been the ‘same show’? It is easy to lose a festival, and feel you had the best show but the adjudicator did not know what he/she was talking about. It is hard to win a festival and feel the same thing: there is a large difference between taking our art seriously and taking ourselves too seriously.”

Clearly, John P. Kelly is a natural teacher. He has led workshops all over Ontario, including at Theatre Ontario. “Those courses may be fun, but they are full of hard work for all concerned.” Even though everyone attends to hear Kelly share his knowledge, he has learned over the years that “the best workshop is the one which changes direction in the middle from where the tutor intended to take it … I have had sessions which have gone nowhere because I took too much risk and allowed too much freedom. It is a learning process all the time. And it is an exciting process. What a wonderful experience a good workshop can be!”

When asked if would see himself leaving Canada, he says, “I have been told several times that the great thing about Canada is that it is not finished yet. There is still space for people to keep on building. I wish I could contribute here for another hundred years – except each Winter!”

That’s good news for the theatre community particularly in Ontario. We’re not finished with John P. Kelly either.

Thursday, 11 June 2015

Some of the ideas that informed APT came out ofthe Open Source Brainstorm held in theIncubator of The Theatre Centre in January 2015.

The goal of the APT program is to train a new generation of artist/producers of independent theatre. Successful applicants will receive comprehensive, innovative, hands-on training with top industry professionals as they create and implement strategies and projects.

Graduates will have the skills to sustain a career in the arts. Some may become ‘guns-for-hire’, working on a contract-by-contract basis on the one-off shows that drive indie performance, while others may bring these new skills to creating and producing their own work. All will learn entrepreneurial and innovation-based strategies that include adequately compensating artists and producers.

The APT program is an investment in improving the independent theatre ecology.

Therefore each participant will receive $1000 for successful completion of this FREE training program.

This one-year program will consist of three semesters of practical training, followed by a mentored practicum component in the fourth and final semester. All training will take place at the STAF and Theatre Ontario offices in Toronto. The part-time schedule will be announced shortly.

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

What Bit You? A Social for Emerging Theatre Artists from our Youth Advisory Committee on June 19 in Toronto at Factory Theatre: This is a chance for youth ages 14+ to get together, hang out, and get to know other like-minded youth who they may not have met otherwise!

Reciprocal Agreements: CAEA and ACTRA with Arden R. Ryshpan (CAEA) and Karl Pruner (ACTRA) on June 25 in Toronto: If you work or plan to work in both live performance and recorded media, you must navigate the agreements between different unions—and we're here to help.

Actors, directors, playwrights of all skill levels—experience a week away from all distractions and immerse yourself in a unique theatrical learning experience. You will learn new skills, meet passionate theatre people, enrich your theatre capacity, and flex your creative muscle! Join us at our Summer Theatre Intensive, August 9 to 15 in Waterloo. The application deadline is June 26.

Playwright-in-Person with Vern Thiessen on August 10 in Waterloo: Vern reads from his works and participates in a Q&A in this free event open to the public (but of special interest to Summer Theatre Intensive students studying playwriting with Maja Ardal)

Tuesday, 9 June 2015

Theatre Ontario Festival is a destination for theatre-lovers from across the province. Mark your calendar now to join us on May 18 to 22, 2016 as we travel to North Bay - "the gateway of the north" - for Theatre Ontario Festival 2016.

Co-hosted by Theatre Ontario, Gateway Theatre Guild, and QUONTA (the northeastern Ontario community theatre association), the Festival will be a return to the community that last hosted our Festival in 2008.

Theatre Ontario Festival showcases outstanding community theatre productions from across the province, and celebrates outstanding achievements in community theatre with artistic awards, and the Michael Spence Award for Outstanding Contribution to Community Theatre.

With thought-provoking detailed adjudications open to all attendees, workshops focusing on artistic and administrative needs at community theatres, and play readings bringing together Canadian playwrights and communities, Festival is also a classroom for passionate and dedicated community theatre artists.

Thursday, 4 June 2015

The Theatre Ontario Talent Bank of theatre instructors was created as one of the great bridges between the professional, community and educational theatre worlds.

Individuals and community theatre groups are thirsty to upgrade their skills. The wide range of categories available makes the Talent Bank the “go-to” place for these people to seek out quality workshop leaders.

At this time of year, Theatre Ontario is so pleased to announce the new members of the Talent Bank. It never ceases to amaze at the diversity of new talent—categorically and geographically. These people definitely celebrate some of the diversity of our great province.

Michael Clipperton from Haliburton is already a member of the Talent Bank and is being added to the category of Directing Instructor (Musicals).

We have two new people being included in Technical categories. Dave Sansom from the Toronto region is a new member of the Technical Production Instructor category and Andrea Steinwand from Ottawa is being included in the Technical Production Instructor and Set Instructor categories.

Kate Hurman, Ottawa and Susan Cuthbert, Toronto, are joining the Children’s Theatre Instructor category. Kate is also in the Voice Instructor and Acting Instructor categories and Susan is in three other categories – Voice Instructor, Directing Instructor(Musicals) and Choreography Instructor. There are two other new members of the Voice Instructor Category – Douglas Rice and Rosalind Mills both or Toronto. Douglas is also in the Directing Instructor (Opera) and Rosalind is joining the Musical Director/Conductor category.

Clara McBride from Port Hope is a new member of the Physical Theatre Instructor and Improvisation Instructor and Marnie Neve from Guelph is in the Movement Instructor category. Finally, we welcome Heather Davies to the multiple categories of Acting Instructor, Directing Instructor (Drama) and Directing Instructor (Musicals) and Jennifer Worsnop-Seller as a new Adjudicator.

More information on all of our Talent Bank members can be accessed on the Theatre Ontario website. Please take a look at all of members. They are here to support theatre in Ontario.

Reciprocal Agreements: CAEA and ACTRA with Arden R. Ryshpan (CAEA) and Karl Pruner (ACTRA) on June 25 in Toronto: If you work or plan to work in both live performance and recorded media, you must navigate the agreements between different unions - and we're here to help.

Actors, directors, playwrights of all skill levels—experience a week away from all distractions and immerse yourself in a unique theatrical learning experience. You will learn new skills, meet passionate theatre people, enrich your theatre capacity, and flex your creative muscle! Join us at our Summer Theatre Intensive, August 9 to 15 in Waterloo

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Meisner Technique Training at
Essential Collective Theatre

The Shaw Festival’s next workshop for teens is on June 6: this workshops focuses on learning English accents.

The Western Ontario Drama League is inviting community theatres from across the province to participate in this year's Mini-Fest in Binbrook. This is a unique educational opportunity for first-time directors or actors. The deadline for entries is June 10.

Tuesday, 2 June 2015

Joseph van Veen attended last year's Theatre Ontario Summer Theater Intensive in Waterloo, and took Thom Currie’s course for beginner and intermediate directors. Rebecca Ballarin, Interim Program Coordinator, interviewed Joseph about his experience at the Intensive.

Why did you decide to attend the Summer Theatre Intensive?

I've been acting for almost thirty years and wanted to expand my experience to directing. I thought I knew what kind of director I would be, but as a first-time director I didn't know if I had the right skills, creativity, or confidence.

Did the course meet your expectations?

The course exceeded my expectations. The course was designed for beginning directors with little or no experience. The course was structured with 'lessons' from the instructor and the participants drawing on personal experiences in the morning and practical activities, exercises or projects in the afternoon. There was a lot to cover in a one-week intensive but the instructor did a fantastic job. I learned some new skills and walked away from the course with the enthusiasm and confidence to direct my first play.

What was the atmosphere like at the intensive?

The atmosphere within a group in a specific course quickly forms a bond or camaraderie. I enjoyed the time we had together to learn from each other. One particular lesson was focused on the audition process and we were able to break out of our own group and partnered with one of the acting classes and had the students audition for us with the monologues they had been working on.

What was your favourite part of the experience?

A mock "general auditions" panel was held outside of
classroom time for the first-time actors and directors to both
experience the process.

My favourite part of the experience would have to be the interaction we had with the acting classes. It was a brilliant idea that we came up with to host 'general auditions'. This was done at the end of the day outside of class time. The actors were given the opportunity to present the monologues they were working on in class to a panel of six directors sitting at a long table. Some of the actors commented on how intimidating the experience was but how much they learned from it. As directors we got to experience how we could process the information learned through an audition and apply it to the shows we were casting in the course.

What was the most memorable thing you learned?

One of the things that Thom Currie discussed was the importance of text work; in professional theatre a cast could spend days breaking the text. Physically breaking scenes into smaller beats and understanding different ways that text could be said by an actor. All of this adds up to more complex characters and interesting performances. I was resistant to this process, I thought "that's great for professional theater but in community theatre we don't have the luxury of time that the pros have."

However, I used this process in the first play that I directed and the cast really appreciated the time we took to do this.

How has this course positively impacted your work as a theatre artist?

As mentioned above, Thom shared with us the importance of text work. I used this technique while directing Norm Foster's Bedtime Stories. Each actor was cast in two or three roles and commented on how much this process helped them to create multiple characters and make them each unique. I will definitely incorporate this process into my work as a director and as an actor.

Who would you recommend this course to?

The course is ideal for beginning directors with some experience in theatre either as an actor, director or even a writer or stage manager. I think it would be a very challenging course for someone with no theatre experience at all.

Monday, 1 June 2015

In Southwestern Ontario
Jun. 4, She Stoops to Conquer at Stratford Festival, currently in previews
Jun. 4, Moon Over Buffalo at Simcoe Little Theatre
Jun. 5, The Taming of the Shrew at Stratford Festival, currently in previews
Jun. 5, Chicago at Drayton Entertainment: St. Jacobs Country Playhouse, with previews from Jun. 3

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About Theatre Ontario

Serving Ontario's Theatre community since 1971, Theatre Ontario develops and supports theatre practitioners across the province, by providing resources, networking, training and advocacy. To access our services, become a member, or donate to support our work, visit the Theatre Ontario website